Is Disneyland as magical as Disney World ?

[APH]

Having been to Disney World a couple of years ago and Universal this year, and having had a wonderful time at both, we’d really like to repeat the experience next year.

It seems too soon, though, to return to those parks so we’re considering Disneyland.

There are a few things putting me off though.

One of the magical things about Disney World (and to a lesser extent, Universal) is that the size and layout mean you can shut out the real world and live the fantasy (particularly if you stay on site).

The fact that Disneyland has the urban jungle right up against the walls really puts me off.

What do others think? Did you manage to immerse yourself in the Disney fantasy?

 

[cheshiregoofy22]

We stayed at the Grand Californian two times and felt totally immersed in the magic. Once we turned into the driveway, we were in the bubble. Downtown Disney is right outside your door with all the feels. It's a quick hop to the park entrance(s) and having two parks a proverbial arms length apart is awesome! Popping home for a nap or a change of clothes (picking up a jacket for evening) is super easy - the entrance from California Adventure to the GC makes it even easier if you happen to be in that park but the regular entrance isn't as far as a bus stop at WDW. We stayed three days (prior to SWGE of course) with park hoppers and rode and saw all we wanted in that time. We also felt it was much easier to get restaurant reservations! Not sure how we'd feel had we stayed off site but we don't stay off site at WDW so we went all in at Disneyland too. Definitely worth a go imho!!

 

[Zooey]

If you’re staying on site there is an effective “Disney bubble” and when you’re in the parks you really don’t see or think about the city outside of it.

That being said, it’s a different vibe than World. It’s chill, positively Californian. There’s less tourists, more locals, everyone is happy to be there. That vibe is infectious and one of the best parts of Disneyland over WDW.

But if you go in with the mindset that bigger is better you will be disappointed. Disneyland is an intimate experience and you have to be okay with that.

 

[Karin1984]

To me the size of Disney World is a negative. I am an AP holder at Disneyland Paris, and love the proximity of everything in my homepark and in Disneyland Anaheim. It gives so much more flexibility to your schedule and plans for the day, when it comes to parkhopping, not worrying about last buses when you close the park, going back to the hotel for a nap/change of clothes/having a drink at a hotel bar... those things are not easy in Disney World (without sacrificing too much park time).

The bubble for me is inside the parks, this doesn't really extend to the hotels/resorts etc. As when you turn on your phone/social media/turn on the tv in your hotel room, the outside world is there again. It can snap you out of it when you overhear people in queue or at the table next to you.

At the moment, my perfect bubble is on a cruise ship, as there hardly is a connection with the outside world on a cruise ship, and in the queues (if there are any), and your table mates, there is no other topic besides the cruise, as there is no one with connection .

We had a similar discussion on the DLP board a while ago, where someone asked if she had to go to DLP as she was a regular at WDW and was disappointed when she went to DL. You have to determine if you love Disney, or if you love WDW. If it's the last, then don't go, as things will be different. If you love Disney and you can handle things being different (and different can turn out to be better), go to Disneyland as well.

If you decide to go, open your mind and look for the good things, and don't compare it too much to what you are used to.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I find DLR much more magical, especially if you stay on-site. I get pulled out of the magic at WDW every time I have to catch a bus, boat or monorail to get somewhere. (For those that haven’t been to WDW the monorail is simply a transportation device and not nearly as fun as DLR!). Every time I have to stand at a bus depot or boat dock and smell those never ending fumes from the buses & boats the “magic” is drained. DLR has none of that nonsense, walk park to park without freeways/expressways between you and your destination. DLR is the more immersive if on-site comparing, even offsite the walk from a couple of the Harbor Hotels close to the entrances is shorter than the walk from Contemporary to MK.

 

[tasha99]

I prefer the Disneyland bubble to WDW because I hate taking busses. To get the Disneyland bubble, I think you have to stay at Grand Californian. I've stayed at the Harbor Blvd hotels, and I've walked to the Disneyland Hotel to go to Steakhouse 55 and Trader Sams. Harbor Blvd hotels are wayyy out of the bubble, but so are the Disneyland and Paradise Pier Hotels, imo.

Disneyland is smaller, but I see that as a plus.

 

[StarSpeckledSky]

I have no idea what the nonsense about Disneyland being not so in the bubble because of the proximity to the outside world means. I was cautious about this originally as I heard reports negatively speaking of hearing cars while waiting in line but nothing of the sort happened to us. Totally in the Disney bubble while in the park. No interference.

Disneyland is a beautiful experience unless you’re going in thinking bigger is better. As others have mentioned, it’s intimate. It’s not huge or expansive but nevertheless (and imo partly because of the intimateness) magical.

 

[MillauFr]

I think Orange County California is a bubble

 

[Captainkidd76]

We took our 1st trip to Disneyland last year and stayed at the Disneyland Hotel. I didn't feel as immersed as I do at WDW, but didn't feel like we were in a city. We never left property. All I can say is, if you are a fan of the Magic Kingdom, you will LOVE Disneyland Park. We avoided going so many years because people said we would be underwhelmed. Dead wrong. Yes, the park is smaller and thus, more difficult to navigate on crowded days. Much of the layout I don't care for as much as the Magic Kingdom, but the park is so beautiful and so charming. Fantasyland is absolutely worth the price of the trip alone for any Disney fans. Pirates is a million times better. Thunder is at least as good. Space is different, but very good. My wife liked it better, but I preferred MK's. I could go on forever. Do it. Disneyland is truly a magical place. I'm a 43 year old man and I choked up a bit walking down Main Street and on several attractions. Can't wait to go back.

ETA: Pixar Pier wasn't open yet, so that was a bummer, but California Adventure was a beautiful park as well. And Radiator Springs is without question, the most amazing, immersive Disney attraction to come along since Tower of Terror. And I'm not even a fan of "Cars".

 

[StormyCA]

Being in the 'Disney bubble' simply means staying onsite, whether you're at DL or WDW. The bubble is smaller at DL because the DLR has a smaller 'footprint'.

As far as 'feeling the magic', that comes from inside you, no matter where you stay. I've stayed onsite at both places and although I love being in the bubble at both places, it's 'the same, but different' at WDW than the way I feel when I'm at at DL. For me DL is more 'magical' because it's where I grew up, it's the place of my childhood memories and the childhood memories of my own children. When I'm at DL, I AM a child again. At WDW I'm an adult FEELING like a child. Not quite the same. For someone who grew up going to WDW, I'm sure they feel the same way about it.

 

[magicband]

I agree with everyone that it’s definitely a different experience, but nothing about it is less magical to me. It’s the original, there is such a deep feeling of *this is the park that started it all* when you walk down Main Street. I was just there a couple months ago and my favorite part of my one day last minute trip was sitting in Radiator Springs at night with a glass of wine just watching the neon lights. It definitely puts you in a different world.

 

[gerilyne]

I have stayed both off site (across the street) and on-sight when going to Disneyland and never found myself feeling out of the Disney bubble. As others have said DL and WDW are two different experiences both have their magical good things and both have their drawbacks. For me the magic at DL is it's the original park and the size means you can walk everywhere without having to take transportation to get places (which I found at times a hassle at WDW having to figure in travel time).

You may prefer one of them over the other as most people on the boards do, but if you go into it knowing you are going for the Disneyland experience and not trying to recreate the WDW one you can have an absolutely magical time.

 

[skyblue17]

I think so! But I also only go to Disneyland for a day at a time, and I think that can have a different effect. I definitely felt more IMMERSED in DisneyWorld because I was there for a week and because it's so huge and far-reaching. Disneyland has an almost quaintness to it that WDW does not, and I love that about it.

 

[BeyondNeverland]

WDW may have a lot more attractions and is way bigger but ... I enjoy the fact that Disneyland isn't as big because it really makes me feel like I'm in a different world literally. I think it's why I love Disneyland because it's a whole other world that when I enter it just immediately wraps me up in all my favorite Disney things and helps me forget life for a bit .
I

 

[tarheelalum]

Disneyland is the park Walt built and regularly attended. It is the ultimate in Disney magic.

 

[Captainkidd76]

WDW may have a lot more attractions and is way bigger but ... I enjoy the fact that Disneyland isn't as big because it really makes me feel like I'm in a different world literally. I think it's why I love Disneyland because it's a whole other world that when I enter it just immediately wraps me up in all my favorite Disney things and helps me forget life for a bit .
I

Actually, it really doesn't. Don't know the exact count, but Disneyland has several more attractions than Magic Kingdom. California Adventure has probably the same amount as Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom combined.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

DLR is DLR and WDW is WDW. Both are Disney. Both are magical. But in very different ways. And this is key to finding the magic at both resorts. Going to DLR expecting it to be WDW 2.0 and to fit the WDW grid and maybe even outdo WDW is a recipe for a very unmagical trip. Go for the joy of discovering Walt's original park -- the only park he ever saw completed and the fulfillment of his dream come true. Go to see where the magic began and to get perspective on all the parks that grew out of the original. Tony Baxter said that DL was made to be charming and MK was made to be awesome -- neither one is wrong, just different. And both can be fully enjoyed as long as you don't expect one to be the other.
This thread can help with good information: A DLR Guide for WDW Vets.

 

[fly girl]

There is definitely magic at DLR!

WDW is my "home park" but DLR is my entire families favorite. We LOVE how easy it is to get around, no buses YAHOO!!! Jumping from park to park is a breeze, and we go back and forth all day. We also love not making dining reservations 6 months out, I personally find that insane. And most definitely, we do not miss FP+. We get more ride time with the old FP system.

We stay onsite, so I have never felt outside of the Disney bubble. Even when you travel to WDW you see outside businesses going to Disney Springs.

I think you'll definitely feel magic!

 

[DLgal]

I think Orange County California is a bubble

It is. A glorious, glorious bubble. It is a fantastic place to live! I feel so lucky to call it home.

 

[DLgal]

The fact that Disneyland has the urban jungle right up against the walls really puts me off.

Urban Jungle?????

Disneyland is in the middle of suburbia. All of OC is effectively suburbia. Harbor Blvd is right outside the DL gate. It's a somewhat busy thoroughfare lined with hotels and restaurants. It is hardly in the same league as any street in Manhattan. There are homes within 1/4 mile of the parks.

You may hear a stray siren from inside Disneyland if you are in Tomorrowland or some parts of Toontown. Other than that, you won't see nor hear anything that is happening outside the berm. It is an effective barrier.

DL is more magical than WDW. No need to elaborate. Just come and see. And stay on property. You will get that immersion at the GCH, but the DLH is arguably a better overall resort.

Just to elaborate a bit, I live in OC, 15 min away from DL. I go to the parks weekly and feel like I have totally escaped while I am there, every time. I've visited over 400 times. Never fails to give me that feeling.